Myst Epilogue/Riven Prologue
by Al's Waiter
Summary: My theory as to what the person who is trapped in Myst does bewteen the two games of Myst and Riven. May be subject to revisions.


**Usual Disclaimer:** I don't own the legal rights to either Myst or Riven (though I wish I did). This is only for fun. 

**Author's Note:** I wondered what the person who was stuck in Myst between the two games did during the time... between the two games. I may add this to a narrative walkthrough later, but for now, it stands on it's own. Here's my theory as it what goes on. 

* * *

  
**Myst Epilogue/Riven Prologue**   
by [Al's Waiter][1]

Atrus had returned to his writing in the mysterious book and left me staring at him in the middle of the stony floor of D'ni. 

What was I going to do now? 

I reached out for the Myst linking book that lay on the table where Atrus had placed it, opened it up to the description page with the spinning picture of the library ceiling and touched it. The sickening lurch I felt in my stomach lasted only a short few seconds as I was transported back to the library on the now deserted island of Myst. 

I looked around. Atrus had said I "didn't have his sons to deal with any longer". I looked to where the books had been sitting since my first arrival on Myst, and there where each book had sat, a black chard blast marked the bookstand. The books were destroyed- burned by Atrus. He had permanently trapped his sons in those prison books. As he said, it was a difficult decision for him. I don't know if I could have done that to my two boys at home, but I guess that Atrus did what he had to do. 

I looked around me. This was my reward. The library of Myst and the ages it contained. I had already seen them, used them but now I could go around them freely, without a mission or feeling rushed for time. I thought it was very nice of Atrus to do that, even though I would have preferred to have been shown the way home. Still, I had to make the best of it. 

I walked out of the library and looked at the sky. The sun that had lit the tiny world was now sinking deeply into the western sea, changing from white to orange to red. Night was falling and I realized that I hadn't rested the entire time I had been there. I had been so busy finding red or blue pages to even think of resting. I thought the brothers were in real danger... well at least Sirrus at first. But now that I knew the truth and that the whole ordeal was over, my eyelids began to feel very heavy. My body needed rest. 

Where was I to rest? There was no soft place on Myst to lay my head. The cabin would have been nice, had there been a bed or at least a cot there, not a gas furnace and a wall safe. The clock tower gears were certainly out of the question. I decided to go to one of the ages of Myst. After all, Sirrus and Achenar had bedrooms in the Ages. Well, I wouldn't sleep in Achenar's rooms for sure. They still have me the creeps and they didn't at all look comfortable either. So, it had to be one of Sirrus' rooms. 

Which one? There were four ages of Myst and only two had bedrooms that I remembered; the Stoneship age and Channelwood. 

I could go to the Stoneship age. That bedroom looked very comfortable. Better than any five-star hotel. But then again, there was that lousy pump. I would have to run back to that pump and not to mention the ten minute electric generator. I hate walking in the dark with only the sound of my own footsteps and water dripping around me. 

Sirrus' room in Channelwood was very nice as well, despite that it's literally a tree house about twenty meters above the water surface. But then I remembered that I had heard bird songs while walking around the tree house village. It would be much better than no sound what so ever. They might even be relaxing. 

So, it was off to Channelwood. 

Soon, I was standing in front of the linking book of Channelwood. I opened it up to the description page and touched the picture. I guess I'll never get used to that sickening feeling every time I link to another world, but then again, who would? 

Frog, and cricket sounds greeted me as I became more aware of my surroundings. I was standing on the wooden walkway which I had wandered around for sometime before, not knowing where to direct the water to get the devices of this age to work. I walked up to the first Y-split pipe and clicked it so it would run the elevator. I walked up the stairs and took the elevator up to Sirrus's room, kicked away the empty wine bottles and collapsed on his bed. I was out like a light. 

* * *

  


As I expected, the birds outside my window awoke me the next morning. It was sort of a nice change from car honks and tires squealing. I sat up and stretched. I realized my whole body ached from the previous day. I could take it easy for now. Atrus said he didn't need me yet, but then again, maybe he knew of a way to get me home. 

I decided to wait a while. Atrus could come and get me if he needed me badly enough, plus I had holidays coming anyway. 

I searched Channelwood for something to eat - I was starving. 

I found nothing. Then I remembered seeing some berry bushes in the Selenitic Age near the oasis, plus there was the water. I decided to go there for breakfast. 

* * *

When I got there, I remembered what I had been taught about testing berries to see if they were poisonous. I performed the test and it turned out that I didn't need to; the berries weren't bitter at all, but sweet and tasted a little like strawberries. After eating my full, I sat down in the shade of the red leafed trees on the soft green grass and I have to admit, I fell asleep again. 

* * *

When I awoke, I decided to take a closer look at this age; I wanted to see the different unusual sights that I would probably never see again after I left Myst forever to never return. 

I slowly walked to the stone forest that seemed to sing with the wind helping it. I tried to discover what made them sing like that, and it took me a good hour but I finally found out something; I hadn't the slightest idea how it was doing it. 

I don't know whether it was the fresh air I had breathed all night that did it or whether it was the berries I had just eaten or the fact that I was all alone with no one watching me, but I felt like a young boy again. I went to the furnace and started to drop rocks into it just to see what would happen. They burned up before they could reach the molten rock and it made me laugh. I don't know exactly why. That activity kept me occupied for about twenty minutes. 

I then walked to the giant broken clock and stepped inside to see what it was like. The loud chime was enough to make me cover my ears. I stepped out and decided that I had had enough of this world for now, I made my way to the Mazerunner and through the labyrinth of tracks, for which I had almost memorized by that time. 

I linked back to Myst and walked around the dock for a while. I thought of going swimming; the water looked warm enough but I decided against it. I stuck my feet and ankles in instead. 

It felt so refreshing, and relaxing that I suddenly felt lonely. I wanted to hear my two boys calling my name, wanting me to watch their every move. 

I felt a tear roll down my cheek and fall onto my hand that was in my lap. I missed them. 

How long was I going to be here on Myst? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? Cripes! I hoped not! 

As I was thinking of my two sons, I thought of Atrus' sons. It must have really hurt for him to have been betrayed by his own kin. 

I then remembered that Atrus mentioned that his wife, Catherine, was being held captive by a greater foe than his sons ever could imagine? 

Who could it be? Was the captor even human? Was it ape-like as the creatures were from Channelwood? Or maybe it was a dragon-type creature. My imagination started going wild and I decided to try and sketch what I thought the evil foe would look like. 

I found a pencil and several pieces of blank lined paper in my shoulder bag that I had with me when I arrived on Myst. I took them out and began to sketch. 

Now, I'm no Jack Kerby, or Leonardo Da Vinci but I can draw a little and I found that the more I sketched on those few pieces of paper, the better I got. I came up with several conceptual drawings, that I'll admit now, didn't look a thing like the "great foe" Atrus had mentioned. Still it had kept me occupied, plus I figured that if I was to help Atrus again, I might need the artistic skill to sketch things I saw. 

* * *

Over the next week, I explored ever inch of Myst and it's Ages; I knew where every single tree, artifact and rock, was in all worlds. I had begun talking to myself, if only just to hear the sound of a voice and to stop myself from going mad. I wrote down every detail into one of my small notebooks that I had with me, so I would remember this world from years to come, if I ever left it. 

I had almost got used to living alone, when I decided to give Atrus a visit. Maybe he needed me now and was too busy writing to come and get me. The last time he left for a fairly short period of time, he said that there was probably already catastrophic impact on the world that he was writing. I wouldn't want to destroy a world he was forming. 

I went to the fireplace, pressed the detailed pattern into the fireplace and was transported to the secret alcove behind it. I took out the book to D'ni, opened it up and linked. 

My stomach heaved as I entered the little prison cell that held Atrus, who was still writing fervently. He was so immersed in his work that I didn't want to disturb him, so I just stood silently, waiting for him to notice my arrival. 

Thankfully, it didn't take long. 

He started off by saying that I needed to know the history of Riven, my new destination. He handed me a small red leather backed book, told me that everything I needed to know was in there, and to keep it well hidden. I placed it in the inside pocket of my jacket. 

Atrus then told me with a sad tone, that he couldn't send me to Riven with a way out, as I would soon find out why. But he did give me a prison book that he said I would need to capture Gehn. I suspected that's who the "great foe" was. The prison book was made out to look like a linking book back to D'ni, Atrus told me. I truly hoped Atrus knew what he was doing. 

His next instructions was when I found and freed Catherine, I was to signal him and then he would come with a linking book back to D'ni. 

As he picked up a large dark hard covered book, he said that, if all went well, he might be able to get me home. 

Home. I loved the sound of that. 

It was only after I had touched the living page of Riven that I realized, I hadn't asked how I was to signal Atrus when I had freed Catherine. I prayed that Catherine knew, cause I certainly didn't know what I was getting into. After the nausea feeling left me, I was on my way to Riven. 

   [1]: mailto:alswaiter@home.com



End file.
